Pneumatic cleaner.



E.E.YAXLEY.

PNEUMATIG CLEANER. 'APPLICATION'PILED DB0.28

Patented Oct. '7, 1913.

I l I A l J l1 ERNEST E. YAXLEY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

Application led December 28, 1912. Serial No. 738,993.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST E. YAXLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to pneumatic cleaners of the type employing wheel or roller structures that serve to operate air pumps or bellows as the cleaners are pushed and pulled over the surfaces being cleaned. Hitherto, in cleaners of this type the load imposed upon the bellows and roller structure was equal during the forward and backward movements of the cleaners while the t-raction upon the wheel structures that occasioned the operation of the bellows was greater during the forward movement than during the rearward movement- My invention has for its general object to compensate for the reduced traction occurring during the rearward movement. In the preferred embodiment of the invention this compensation is secured by providing means, operative only during the rearward movement, for permitting the passage of air to the bellows independently of the lower opening of the nozzle structure.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a cleaner constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a. sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a side view showing a detail of construction; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4t 4L of Fig. 3.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout t-he different figures.

The cleaner casing has two compartments a, o, separated by a partition c, compartment o inclosing two bellows cl c that have ngers f connected with pitmen g which have crank connection with a roller structure h journaled in mountings z'. Apertures 7c permit pitman movement. The suction bellows are provided with usual admission and discharging valves l and m whereby air may be forced by suction through the nozzle of the cleaner. The dust collector n is of any usual or preferred type, its receiving end being attached to a surrounding frame 0 suitably faced with gaskets p. When the bag is held in position the plate g is clamped in position as indicated and then operates to support the casing at the forward end. A nozzle 'r is formed in the plate g and has an air passage s communicating with the suction producing device by way of compartment b and the interposed dust collector. A bail t having a handle a is swingingly or pivotally attached to the compartment portion b.

The sides of the compartment are, in the embodiment of the invention shown, illustrated as being provided with two air ports or passages o which are adapted to afford communication between the interior of the compartment b and the exterior air preferably independently of the air passage s. Valves are employed to open and close the air passages o, these valves being shown as residing in two valve plates fw each upon a vertical side of the casing portion o, these plates being pivotally connected with the casing at their upper ends and free to oscillate at their lower ends, these plates having arcal slots that receive pins m to limit the extent to which the valve plates may be oscillated. Vhen the lower ends of the valve plates are thrown forwardly they close the air passages fv. When they are thrown rearwardly they open the air passages o. The means which is employed to operate the valves w, but to which means I do not wish to be limited, includes the handle u and bail t, said bail having connection at its ends with the lower ends of the plates.

By the means shown when the cleaner is pushed forwardly the handle and its bail first operate to close the air passages o before the cleaner begins to move forwardly whereby the air finds entrance to the cabinet compartment Z) exclusively through the nozzle r so that the machine is then operating at its maximum efficiency. When the machine is to be moved to the rear the handle is pulled upon, causing the valve plates fw to be shifted before the rearward movement of the casing is commenced so that the air passages o are opened prior to the rearward movement of the machine whereby the suction through the nozzle 7" is reduced sufficiently to permit the machine to be moved rearwardly withoutvslippage of the roller L while at thesamertime the ma;

rearwardly, thel suction occurring at the` nozzle being suited` to the reduced traction upon thewheel structureh as the machine is moving rearwardly. The air passages 'v and s are so relatively proportioned in the design of any particular machine, that sui-licient air is drawn into the machine through the passage o duringthe rearward movement of the machine properly to reduce the amount of air drawnthrough the passage s so that the reduced tractive effort upon the roller 7L during the rearward movement of the machine will be suiicient to operate the bellows Vagainst the reduced load imposed thereupon at the nozzle r. Hitherto the load upon the bellows was equal in both forward and rearward movements of the machine causing the wheel st-ructure i to slip when the machine was being rearwardly moved owing to the reduced traction then occurring, assuming that the bellows and nozzle were adapted to produce a ydesired degree of suction. The reason for theincreased traction during the forward movementand the reduced traction during the rearward movement of the machine is self-apparent. The bail is desirably made of metal with suiiicient spring in it to press the valve plates lw toward the cabinet to insure closure ofthe air passages e when the valves are in closed position.

The machine of my invention preferably includes structural characteristics disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 688,324, filed April 3, 1912.

Thile I have herein shown and particulai-ly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following l. A hand operated pneumatic cleaner including a suction producing device; a suc- ,n p l tion nozzle in communication with the suction producing device; a roller in driving lrelation to the suction producing device in Vboth the forward and backward movement of the cleaner, said nozzle and roller moving upon the surface to be cleaned in the operation of the cleaner; a valve for admitting air to the suction producing device independently of the portion of the nozzle engaging the surface to be cleaned; and a handle connected with the cleaner through the intermediation of the valve and operating to close the valve when pushing the machine forwardly and to open the valve when pulling the machine rearwardly.

2. A handoperated pneumatic cleaner including a suction producing device; a suction nozzle in communication with the suction producing device; a roller in driving relation to the suction producing device in both the forward and backward movement of the cleaner, said nozzle and roller moving upon the surface to be cleaned in the operation of the cleaner; a valve for admitting air to t-he suction producing device independently of the portion of the nozzle engaging the surface to be cleaned; and means operating upon the valve to close it when the cleaner is being pushed forwardly and to open it when the cleaner is being pulled rearwardly.

3. A hand operated pneumatic cleaner including a suction producing device; a suction nozzle in communication with the suction producing device; a roller in driving relation to the suction producing device in both the forward and backward movement of the cleaner, said nozzle and roller moving `u on t-he surface to be cleaned in the ooeration of the cleaner; and mechanism for removing a part of the load from the suction producing device in the rearward movement of the cleaner. n

c In witness whereof, I hereuntosubscribe my name this 26th day of December A.V D.,

Y ERNEST E. YAXLEY.

lVitnesses G. L. CRAGG, ETTA L. VHITE.

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

